Terrain
World War II was fought over almost every type of terrain. Battles ranged from the frozen arctic of northern Finland to the scorching heat of North African deserts, from the grassy steppes of Ukraine to the dense forests of the German Reichswald, and from the hedgerows of France to the mountains of Italy. Woods, hedges, rivers, lakes, and buildings all break up the terrain and complicate the battlefield. Sometimes this will be to your advantage since your troops (whether riflemen, tanks, gunners, or trucks) can hide themselves among the clutter and put something solid between them and any bullets flying around. At other times these features will be a hindrance, as they impede your movement, slowing your advance to a crawl. Terrain Types There are five types of terrain that units can encounter: Roads Whether concrete, brick, cobble, or dirt, a road provides a quick route from one place to another. Teams moving on roads travel faster. Cross Country The majority of the table is usually easily crossed, although at a slower speed than on a road. Unless otherwise stated the parts of the board that are not covered by Terrain are rated as Cross Country terrain. Terrain Features Terrain features severely limit the speed at which vehicles can move. It ranges from the ground that has been churned to mud to natural obstructions like woods. Difficult Terrain Difficult Terrain hinders movement. Vehicles attempting to move through this terrain risk getting stuck if the driver isn’t careful. Impassable Terrain Some obstacles, such as deep rivers or sheer cliffs, are just so difficult that it’s impossible to cross them. Impassable obstacles stop all movement, forcing you to look for an alternative route to the objective. Everybody sees terrain slightly differently, so it is a good idea to discuss the terrain with your opponent before the game. Most of the terrain on your battlefield will be fairly obvious, but it is better to sort out questions like ‘is that hill gentle or steep?’, or ‘is that river shallow or deep?’, at the beginning of the game rather than discover that you and your opponent have different views when you attempt to drive across it. Height of Terrain As well as helping or hindering movement, terrain also provides concealment and cover for troops on the battlefield. Terrain comes in three heights: Flat, Short, and Tall. Flat Terrain Flat terrain, like roads, rivers, and ploughed fields, offers neither concealment nor cover to troops. Short Terrain Short terrain, like walls, hedges, crop fields, and low rises, Conceal teams within or beyond them and may provide Bulletproof Cover (depending on what the terrain is). Tall Terrain Tall terrain, such as woods and buildings, blocks line of sight, hiding whatever is behind them. Troops on the edge can be seen, but are Concealed. Terrain Features Open Spaces Most battlefields are Cross-country apart from specific terrain features. Stationary infantry units are Concealed in the open (and other Flat terrains), but tanks, guns, and moving infantry are in full view. Fences and Hedges Fences are Terrain, limiting the speed at which they can be crossed. Hedges are Difficult Terrain, requiring care when crossing to avoid getting stuck. Fences and Hedges are Short terrains, Concealing teams behind them. Walls Walls are Difficult Terrain, requiring care to avoid getting stuck while crossing. They can be Short or Tall terrain, Concealing teams behind them. Stone and concrete walls provide Bulletproof Cover for teams behind them. Craters Craters are Difficult Terrain, making them risky for tanks and wheeled vehicles to cross. Craters are Short terrain giving Bulletproof Cover to Infantry sheltering in them. Tree Lines Tree Lines are Difficult Terrain, requiring caution from tanks attempting to cross them. Tree lines are Tall terrain, so they block line of sight. Teams immediately behind a tree line are Concealed. Rough Hills Rough hills are Difficult Terrain. Tanks are likely to get stuck while crossing them. Hills are Tall terrain, so block line of sight. Teams half hidden by a hill are Concealed and in Bulletproof Cover. Gentle Hills Gentle hills are Terrain but don’t present any risk of tanks getting stuck. Railway Lines Railway lines are Terrain, slowing troops as they cross them. They are Flat, so offer no concealment. Roads Roads allow tanks to move much faster than they would cross-country if they are going to the right place. Crop Fields Standing crops are Terrain. Tanks moving through them need to slow down to avoid hidden obstacles and potential infantry ambushes. Standing crops are Short terrain, Concealing teams in and behind them. Ploughed Fields Ploughed Fields are Terrain as they are difficult to move across at speed. Vineyards and Orchards Vineyards and orchards are Difficult Terrains. Tanks need to exercise care to avoid getting stuck. Vineyards are Short terrain, while orchards are Tall terrain like woods. Both provide Concealment to teams within or behind them. Water Rivers and Fords Shallow rivers are Difficult Terrain. They slow tanks down possibly causing them to halt as they seek a better crossing point. Deep rivers are Impassable to tanks and require a 4+ Cross Check for infantry to cross. Teams cannot start the game or end their movement in a river or lake. Fords across deep rivers are Difficult Terrain. River crossings are often the site of battles as rivers are significant obstacles. Think about why the battle is being fought here. Is the river a defence line? Has the attacker already taken a bridgehead across the river, and this is a counterattack to eliminate the bridgehead? Place the river and crossings accordingly. It’s a good idea to have at least three fords or bridges unless you are planning to have infantry make an assault crossing. Like all water features, rivers are Flat terrain and do not provide Concealment. Streams and Brooks Streams and Brooks are Terrain, slowing tanks down as they cross. They are Flat terrain, so do not provide Concealment. Lakes and Ponds Lakes and Ponds are Impassable. They are Flat terrain, so do not provide Concealment. Woods Woods are Difficult Terrain. Tanks moving through a wood risk getting stuck. Woods count as Tall terrain. Teams at the edge of wood are Concealed. Woods are impractical if they are modeled realistically in a WYSIWYG fashion. It would be difficult to place models in them or move them around inside. Instead, this type of Terrain is modeled as a base to show the limits of the terrain and what is inside and what is outside of it, with trees placed on top to indicate the type and height of the terrain. The trees can be moved around on the base to allow your teams to move within the area of terrain, but are always assumed to be uniformly distributed throughout the area. Buildings Man-made structures like buildings are different from natural terrain. They are solid, so troops can’t be seen on the other side, but troops can enter them and fight through their openings, such as doors and windows. Multi-storey buildings have one or more rooms on each level, making them, in effect, two buildings stacked upon each other. Buildings more than about 6”/15cm across should be divided into rooms between 3”/7.5cm and 6”/15cm across. Treat each room as a separate building with openings into each adjacent room. Buildings are Terrain that is Impassable to tanks and guns. Infantry can enter and exit them through openings like doors and windows. Buildings are Tall terrain. You cannot see past a building, although teams half-hidden by or in a building are Concealed. Buildings give troops inside Bulletproof Cover. Building a Battlefield The key to setting up an interesting gaming table is to imagine the battlefield that you are fighting over. Think about the key features you would expect to encounter there and that you’ve read about or seen in documentaries about the battle. These features will be significant terrain on your table. Once you’ve decided what types of terrain you want, start laying it out. As you do so, think about the patterns you find in real landscapes. Hills tend to form ridge lines rather than being randomly spread out, and trees tend to be in woods rather than scattered patches. Clumping terrain together like this will also give you open areas between, an equally important part of any battlefield. The most important point is to make your table tell a story and be fun to play on.Category:Game mechanics Category:Under Construction